Demonic Guardians
by Illuminatus
Summary: It's Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, and this year, four transfer students from Japan have joined the wizarding school. Nothing is as it seems, and these new students are no exception. Something is strange about them, something demonic. . .YYHxHP
1. Ch 1: So It Begins

Hey guys! This is my first attempt at a YuYu Hakusho or Harry Potter fanfiction. I'm really not very familiar with YuYu Hakusho. The only knowledge I have about it came from numerous fanfictions, a few anime websites, and the first volume of YYH manga. Please bear with me, and if I make mistakes, please correct me before I embarrass myself further.

Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho and Harry Potter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi and JK Rowling, respectively.

Have fun reading!

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**Demonic Guardians**

**Chapter I: So It Begins**

Of all the things pacifier-breath could have assigned them, it had to be one involving ningen (human) brats. And now he had to pose as one as well.

Hiei's mood could not be worse. He scowled at the dreary weather outside, ignoring Yusuke and Kuwabara's fighting in the background. Spider web rivulets of rainwater coursed across the window glass as the countryside went flying past. Hiei was not fond of ningen methods of travel. He did not understand why they couldn't fly to this 'Hogwarts' place via Botan's oars. But Koenma had insisted that they take the train, as was customary for 'Hogwarts' students. _"You need to act just like any other student there, and that includes getting to the school the same way everyone else does," _Koenma had said.

"Hn," he scoffed, drawing Kurama's attention.

The fox demon had an almost amused expression on his face. "Koenma is certainly getting creative with his assignments. Who would have thought we'd be sent to a magic school?"

Yusuke, meanwhile, paused his roughhousing with Kuwabara. "He can't expect me to actually go to classes though." Back in Japan, Yusuke rarely bothered attending school, and on the odd occasions he did, he never stayed past noon. What made the demigod of the dead think that this would be any different?

"Or me," added Kuwabara.

"Well, you'll have to, unless you want to blow our cover." Kurama stood up as the sound of squeaking wheels right outside their compartment caught his attention. "They will be all magic classes. It can't be as bad as your normal classes."

"My normal school never included baby-sitting as part of an undercover mission."

Kurama paid no attention to the reply, however, as he opened the compartment door. A plump rosy-cheeked woman stood there with a trolley laden with an assortment of colored packages.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Interest piqued, Hiei left his place by the window to investigate the cart. Kurama selected two pumpkin pasties wrapped in foil before paying the lady with a handful of bronze coins they had picked up earlier at a place called 'Gringotts.'

After the trolley rolled on to the next box (with a considerably lighter load than before), the group sat back down to enjoy their snacks.

Hiei had retreated back to his seat by the window, his foul mood alleviated somewhat as he sat contentedly with one of his "sweet snow" cones. He listened with little interest to Yusuke and Kuwabara's meaningless banter.

After a while, Kurama stood up, crumpling up the sheet of foil in his hand.

Yusuke looked up from his Chocolate Frog long enough to ask, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go take a look around. Be right back," replied Kurama before the compartment door slid closed in his wake.

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Draco Malfoy sneered contemptuously as he strode arrogantly down the aisle, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as always. He had just finished taunting Potty and his Mudblood and Weasel friends, and was looking for someone else to ridicule.

He flicked a glance into one of the compartments to his right. Through the galss he could see a plump round-faced boy and a girl with dirty blonde hair and glazed eyes who had her nose buried in a magazine. Hmm. . . Longbottom seemed a favorable target.

When the compartment door opened, Neville visibly tensed at the sight of the three Slytherins standing in the doorway. The girl sitting across from him laid down the magazine.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the boy who hasn't enough brains to fill a teaspoon," drawled Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle laughed thickly at this.

Neville paled and stammered, "G-g-go away, M-Malfoy."

"_G-g-go away, M-Malfoy_," mimicked Draco mockingly. "And what if I don't? Will you go running to Granny?" He reached down and snatched up the magazine. "_The Quibbler_? Who would be fool enough to read this rubbish?" he sneered derisively. "But then again, if you hang around trash like Longbottom, I wouldn't be surprised." He tossed the magazine to the floor carelessly.

Luna stiffened at the comment and picked up her magazine, straightening the pages before holding it possessively in her lap.

Neville was clutching his wand in one white-knuckled hand, suddenly remembering Harry and Ron's words way back in first year that "he was worth ten of Malfoy." "Leave us alone, Malfoy. We never did anything to you!" Beneath the fragile layer of confidence, there was a note of pleading in his voice.

Malfoy saw Neville's wand and decided to interpret it as a challenge. He pulled his wand out from his pocket. "So this is how you want to play it, is that right, Longbottom?" Crabbe and Goyle followed suit, fumbling through their robes before producing their wands, ready to back up their leader. Malfoy raised his wand and prepared a hex.

"Now really. Is magic the only way you know how to resolve a conflict?" spoke an unfamiliar voice behind them.

They all turned to regard the newcomer.

Had it not been for the undoubtedly masculine voice, Malfoy may have mistaken him to be a girl. The stranger had long red hair that gave him an almost feminine look and vibrant green eyes. His features were very handsome, and his build was lithe. He carried himself with an air of composed calmness.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes, wand forgotten. He had never seen this boy before, and he looked far too old to be a first year. "And who are you?" he asked, trademark smirk in place.

The stranger met his gaze calmly. "Shuichi Minamino."

"Well, then, _Minamino_, you can just haul your ass back to your own compartment before I hex you." Malfoy reinforced his threat by holding up his wand.

Kurama had to suppress his amusement at the petty attempt of intimidation. Hex him? With that flimsy stick? Unfazed, he shook his head, the impassiveness never leaving his face. "Empty threats account for nothing."

Malfoy's face twisted in anger. Who did this redhead think he was? "Let's see how empty of a threat this is!" He raised the wand, but suddenly found himself holding nothing. "Huh?" He looked at his hand in confusion. Where was his wand?

"Looking for this?" asked Kurama evenly, twirling a wand nonchalantly in his right hand. He could see Neville and Luna struggling to keep straight faces.

Malfoy's eyes widened in recognition. He turned furiously to his cronies. "Well, don't just stand there! Jinx him!"

Crabbe and Goyle, standing on either side of Kurama, hastened to comply. At the same time, they shouted incantations, badly mangling the syllables. Kurama sidestepped easily, and jets of green and red light crisscrossed the air. Instead of hitting Kurama, the spells landed on Crabbe and Goyle.

Large bulbous boils formed on Crabbe's arms and face, popping spontaneously to release runny pus. Goyle, on the other hand, seemed perfectly normal. He turned to Malfoy and his lips moved, but no sound came out. A look of befuddled cluelessness crossed his dull features and he tried again. . .with no luck.

Whatever spell Crabbe had cast had made Goyle mute.

Malfoy snarled and wheeled around to face Kurama. "What did you do, Minamino?" he snarled.

Kurama cocked an eyebrow. "What did _I _do? You should be asking them, they're the one's who cast the hexes, not me." His face was blank, though the Youko inside him was laughing. "But of course, only one of them can talk and answer your question. You might want to find a way to get those spells off before a professor comes along and asks about it." He handed Malfoy back his wand and added politely, "And here's your wand."

"I'm not through with you, Minamino," hissed the blonde Slytherin. Malfoy threw him one last malicious look before storming out, Crabbe and Malfoy trailing after him.

As soon as they were gone, Neville and Luna collapsed under peals of laughter. Even Kurama allowed himself a light smile.

When they finally pulled themselves together again, Neville was grinning broadly.

"That was brilliant!" he beamed. "The look on Malfoy's face!"

"Thank you." Kurama studied them for a quick second, evaluating their ki auras. Both had stronger ki than normal humans, but still relatively weak, even compared to the lowest class demons. "I don't believe we've been introduced properly. My name's Shuichi Minamino."

"I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Luna Lovegood." The girl looked at him with wistful eyes. "And thank you - for telling Malfoy off."

Kurama shrugged. "Don't let him bother you too much. He isn't worth your time."

_Baka fox, we're almost at the school. Get over here, wherever you are!_

Kurama heard Hiei's voice speaking to him telepathically and realized the truth in the fire demon's words. _I'm coming! _he replied. Then, to Neville and Luna, he said, "Sorry, but I should be going now. It seems we're almost there."

Neville seemed a bit disappointed, but nodded. "Alright then. See you later?"

"Yes. See you at Hogwarts, then." He turned and stepped out of the compartment, the door sliding shut behind him.

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When Kurama got back to his box, the others were already changing into their school robes, Hiei a bit grudgingly.

"Sorry about that. I guess I got a little sidetracked," said Kurama as he slipped on the black robes.

"Hn."

"Find anything interesting, Fox?" asked Yusuke.

"Not really. Met some of the students, though," replied Kurama casually.

"Did you see that boy - Harry Potter?"

"Who?" asked Kuwabara.

Hiei glared at the tall, orange-haired boy. "_Harry Potter_. The baka ningen boy we're supposed to protect from the ningen Voldemort."

Kurama shook his head. "No, I didn't find Harry, but I'm sure we'll meet him soon enough."

The train stopped moving and they all heard the gravelly scraping of other compartment doors sliding open. The four Japanese boys stood up.

"We're here," said Yusuke. Before they left the box though, Kurama turned to address the Reikai Tantei.

"And by the way, remember what Koenma said about keeping a low profile here. We're just students here, understood? Normal, _human_ students - " Kurama looked pointedly over at Hiei, who responded with a scornful 'Hn.' " - meaning that no one calls me 'Fox' anymore, and no excessive displays of _unusual_ power."

The group nodded and Yusuke smirked.

"All right then. Let's go see what this 'Hogwarts' is about then, ne?"

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I'm done! I know that this chapter was short, but future chappies will be longer (bout 10 pages on average). I don't really know if I'm going to continue this fic, since it _is _a bit of an experiment to see how I'll do in the Harry Potter and YuYu Hakusho fandoms. But this chapter _was_ fun to write, so we'll see. . .

Anyways, I honestly only have a vague idea of the YuYu Hakusho gang's personalities, but I did my best to make them behave in character in this chapter. If you see any OOC-ness, please say so!

And if I spell names wrong, it's because I really don't know the correct spellings. I mean, I've seen about five different ways to spell 'Shuichi.' Tell me and I'll correct it.


	2. Ch 2: The Reikai Tantei

IMPORTANT NOTE ON UPDATES: Be forewarned that my updates aren't very fast. I found out a long time ago that I can't do quality and quantity at the same time, so if I have to give up one, I would rather keep quality. However, no matter how slow my updates are, by no means does it mean that I've given up. If I DO decide to discontinue this fic, I will tell you guys directly instead of letting you wonder. Take me seriously on this. Please refer to my profile when you want to know the current progress.

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A hundred thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I appreciate it! Just because I don't beg for reviews doesn't mean I don't like them.

Shessha's Crazy: Thank you!

Kitsune Sunstar: Thanks. I think I'll stay with the spelling 'Shuichi' as I checked and found that that is how it is spelled in the manga.

Shadowcat241: Enjoy the next chapter!

DarkStormFox: I read "The Best Defense" and it's on my favorites list! It is soooooooo awesome! I'd rate it a 10 out of 10!

Curry: Good start? Hopefully it'll stay good throughout.

Aura Bakura: Thank you for the encouragement!

RBMIfan: Hopefully everyone else thought they were too.

Ouya: Thank you!

Clow Angel: You must have gotten your point across, because here I am, writing another chapter. Interesting how much influence a reader can have on the authoress.

Tahahashi shuurin: Continued until further notice!

Karuto-chan: gulp Don't worry! Thoughts of placing Kurama in Slytherin never once crossed my mind. Hehehe. . .

Hiei-Stalker: Thank you, and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations.

Bakagami101: Thanks for the tip about Neville. I went back and edited some of the stuttering out, so it should be better now.

MistressKC: Kurama is so awesome! He's my favorite character from YYH, so obviously he just HAD to have a spotlight.

Long Live Asato Kido: Well, technically, Kuwabara said goes back to chapter and counts a grand total of THREE words! nods proudly And a whole lot more during the background fighting that I didn't write about. -

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Tsuiraku Tanrei: Neville's slight OOC-ness has been fixed. Thank you!

Nikki: You never told me you liked YYH! And we've known each other for what, THREE years? BTW, how did you find my new story so fast? I had just posted it that morning. Did you find it browsing the YYH fandom or did you check my profile?

Stonewarrior: The title was a spur on the moment idea, very much like the inspiration for the story itself. My muse must have felt unusually happy for some reason. . . Thank you for reading!

Kuramalover21: Thank you!

IcyTears: Well, the feedback was 100 positive, which is even more reason for me to continue! Thanks!

Nunofyorbiz: Malfoy bashing! My favorite hobby!

Aria-Chan: Thank you for whatever caused so much inspiration for me to write this story! Was it the pictures of Kurama? glomp

Magus Black: Thank a million for the profiles. It will be very helpful in the future (although I must protest against the SOB comment about Hiei) But I do agree about Kuwabara's dedication. I picked that up about him right after reading the first manga volume. Final comment: I'm a lass, not a lad.

Well, enjoy!

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**Demonic Guardians**

**Ch. II: The Reikai Tantei**

The curtains of twilight had already fallen by the time Hogwarts Express reached the school, casting its tall towers and parapets into shadows and giving the place an eerie, ominous feel. Myriads of pinpricks of light freckled the inky heavens, a noticeable contrast to Japan's nights, where the pollution and light blocked out the stars.

The Reikai Tantei were among the last to leave the train. Yusuke and Kuwabara were visibly impressed by the castle, and even Kurama had to admit that it was quite a sight to behold, even if it did not measure up to the Palace of Makai. Hiei gave no reaction after an initial 'Hn.'

They went with the main flow of students, blending in with the bustling crowd until something big and cloaked in black blocked their way. Yusuke looked up to see a huge lumbering man towering over him. He was almost twice as tall as Yusuke, and at least three times as wide, with a round face covered with a thick black beard and hair, and two beady black eyes that twinkled at the Spirit Detectives.

"Yeh four mus' be the new transfers, eh?" the man asked in a deep brass voice.

Hiei scowled at him, but the hostile gesture went unnoticed by the stranger. Kurama gave him a reprimanding look before offering his hand as was customary for Western acquaintances.

"We are. I'm Shuichi Minamino."

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper o' the Keys and Grounds at 'ogwarts," said Hagrid as his massive hand enveloped Kurama's in a handshake.

"Yusuke Urameshi," said Yusuke.

"Kazuma Kuwabara."

Hagrid turned to Hiei, expecting the fire demon to introduce him like the others had. However, the only response he got was a scornful 'Hn."

Kurama sighed heavily. "And that's Hiei Jaganshi."

Hagrid beamed at them, regardless of Hiei's rudeness. "Ye four will be comin' with me, then. Professor Dumbledore gave me orders to take you with the firs' years t'be sorted." He held up an arm and bellowed over the crowd of students, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Hiei allowed himself another scowl. If all the ningen here were like this fool, then this place would be hell.

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"You've got to be kidding, Neville!"

Neville shook his head vigorously. He was sitting at the Gryffindor house table, surrounded by Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and several other boys all clamoring to hear from him what had happened on the train with Malfoy.

"Go on. What happened next?" asked Seamus eagerly.

Face flushed and unaccustomed to all the attention he was getting, Neville related the incident in detail. "So after he snatches the wand, Malfoy tells Grabbe and Goyle to hex him."

"Just like him, to call his cronies to do the dirty work for him," commented Ron sagely before the others hushed him quickly.

"And guess what happens then?"

"A Professor walks in and tells Malfoy off?" suggested Dean.

"Even better." Neville paused for effect. "They jinxed each other!"

His statement was met with silence, until Collin Creevy squeaked, "No way!"

Amidst the hearty laughter, Hermione walked over and sat down between Ron and Neville, beaming.

"You wouldn't believe what I just found out!"

"What?"

"There's Japanese transfers to Hogwarts this year!" she gushed. "I overheard the professors talking about it."

"Neville met one of them on the train!"

"Really?"

Harry stopped listening to the conversation. His friends' cheerful chatter belied the danger looming over the wizarding word. It was his sixth year at Hogwarts, Voldemort had returned, and the Ministry was finally acknowledging it. _The Daily Prophet _reports of escaped Death Eaters were becoming a frequent occurrence, and the Order of the Phoenix was steadily gaining more and more members. He also knew with a gut-wrenching certainty that Voldemort was more likely than not scheming some way to kill Harry. And Sirius – Harry's thoughts froze as soon as that name entered his mind. He could not bring himself to think of his godfather, had not been able to all summer. The first few days after Sirius's death, Harry would remember him numbly for a few seconds, before the paroxysm of pain came crashing down on him. He had long since learned to swerve away from the topic before the numbness ended.

To occupy his thoughts, Harry turned his attention towards the front.

Professor McGonagall had entered Great Hall, a long line of shivering first years trailing after her. Harry smiled as they stared at the enchanted ceiling in awe, knowing that he had been just like them five years ago. He recalled the apprehension of being in a foreign place he knew almost nothing about, awaiting an unknown test that would dictate his fate. He noticed that more than a few of them were studying the old patched Sorting Hat curiously. Perhaps some of them were wondering if the 'test' was pulling a rabbit of it, as he had considered when he had first seen the Hat.

The tear in the Hat's brim opened wide and it began the annual Sorting song. As it had in every year before, the song gave a brief description of each House, their qualities, and histories. The song ended with a warning not unlike the one from last year, cautioning Hogwarts against the oncoming power and darkness of Voldemort's return. Harry clapped along with everyone else as the Hat ended its introduction, and McGonagall held up a list of the first years to be sorted.

"When I call your name, please come forward and put on the hat," she said, and then peering over the rims of her square glasses, she read the first name. "Alsup, Kyle."

A scruffy boy with sandy blonde hair overshadowing his eyes shuffled up to the stool and placed the Hat on. A brief moment later, the Hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" and Kyle went to join the Gryffindor table amidst storms of congratulations and applause.

Harry did not pay much attention to the Sorting after that, and clapped after each interval half-heartedly. Sitting beside him, Ron was massaging his stomach and willing the Sorting to speed up while Hermione sent him disapproving looks from across the table.

"Hurry up and let's get to the feast already!" he heard Ron grumbling as "McCullough, Matt" was pronounced a Ravenclaw. Harry did have to agree that the Hat seemed to be taking longer than usual to sort the first years. He also noticed with a pang of disappointment that there were very few new Gryffindors this year, and more Slytherins than he would have liked.

Finally, "Wheeler, Michael" was made a Slytherin, and Professor McGonagall left Great Hall once again, but did not take the stool or Hat. Dumbledore stood up at the staff table.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before I go any further, we must first finish the Sorting. We will be having four new transfers this year." Here, Dumbledore paused as the students turned to their neighbors with surprised whispers. "They have come from Japan and will join the sixth years. As you know, Hogwarts has not had transfer students for several decades, and so I trust you will welcome them to our school." He sat back down, and McGonagall reentered with four unfamiliar faces.

"Jaganshi, Hiei."

A short boy with spiked black gravity-defiant hair and a white headband stepped up. He walked with a stony, cold demeanor, one that suggested hostility. His eyes spoke of smoldering anger. As the Hat slipped over his eyes, Ron leaned over and whispered to Harry, "I'll bet you that one's a Slytherin."

No sooner had he said this that the Hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" and Hiei joined the cheering Slytherins under their green and silver banner. Not once did the cold glare leave his face as he took a seat near the center of the table between Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

McGonagall waited for complete silence again before calling, "Kuwabara, Kazuma."

The second transfer was tall, broad-shouldered, and had bright orange hair. The Hat did not take long to declare him a Gryffindor, and Harry clapped just as loudly as the rest of his table, glad to welcome the new Gryffindor after receiving almost no first years.

"Minamino, Shuichi."

"That's him, Harry! The boy from the train!" whispered Neville excitedly.

Harry shifted around in his seat for a better view. A figure with long red hair moved towards the Sorting Hat with an unnatural, almost feline grace, attracting admiring stares from both girls and boys.

"Didn't you say he was a boy?" asked Ron curiously.

"Shhhhh!" hissed Lavender Brown from across the table before turning with rapt attention towards Shuichi and the Hat.

The Hat, meanwhile, seemed to be having a difficult time sorting Shuichi. After a full minute, the rip in the Hat's brim opened and shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"

Harry heard Lavender and several other Gryffindor girls sigh in disappointment. The Ravenclaw girls, however, seemed to be in far higher spirits.

"Look at Malfoy!" said Ron, pointing towards the Slytherin table.

Malfoy was glaring at Shuichi with a loathing look akin to the one he always saved for Harry. His fists were clenched and his face was twisted in an angry scowl. Harry could almost hear him thinking of possible methods of revenge against Shuichi.

"If he makes Malfoy that angry, then he can't be half bad," commented Dean.

McGonagall called for silence and read out the final name. "Urameshi, Yusuke."

Yusuke walked up with a cocky, almost arrogant swagger, corners of his mouth tilted upward in an ever so slight hint of a smirk. So far, Gryffindor sounded the most desirable House. He was hardly surprised that Hiei belonged in Slytherin and Kurama had been sorted into Ravenclaw, but he doubted that he would be in either.

The Hat's method of sorting had presented a problem to the Reikai Tantei, who were wary of any sort of mental intrusion, human or otherwise. It was Hiei who suggested that he use his Jagan to erect a barrier around all of their minds, allowing the Hat to see only what was necessary for the sorting without arousing suspicion.

This was one of those rare occasions when Yusuke was grateful to the fire demon. He had no desire of anything having access to his mind, thank you very much.

The Spirit Detective put the Hat on and waited.

_Another brave one, I see_, spoke a voice in his head. _Courage is hard to come by these days, with the Dark Lord resurrected._

Yusuke grinned mentally. _Yeah, yeah. Just put me in Gryffindor and let's get this over with._

The Hat chuckled. _As you say._ "GRYFFINDOR!"

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Hiei eyed the ningens around him in distaste. It was degrading that he had to put up with their presence, much less pose – _pose _– as one of them! He scowled at the idea of it just as an old man with long white hair and beard and wearing half-moon spectacles stood up at the staff table.

Malfoy, sitting on Hiei's right, interpreted the expression as one of disdain for Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore," he said sneeringly. "What do you think of him?"

"Hn."

Draco was slightly thrown off by the rude reply, but pressed further. "Father says the old fool's going senile."

Hiei snorted derisively. He was amused that someone this old was still running a school. "The _ningen_ should have died long ago."

Malfoy wondered what 'ningen' meant, but decided that he liked this boy. Surely he must have come from a respectable family. "Are you a pureblood?"

"Pureblood?" Hiei turned to face him with steely crimson eyes, and Malfoy gave a start.

Red eyes. . .

Like Voldemort. . .

"Are your parents wizards?" he rephrased.

"They both had magic," said Hiei bluntly in a tone that made it clear the conversation was over. The answer was true, but not in the sense that Malfoy had been seeking.

The wizard boy, however, accepted the reply with an approving nod. A pureblood who despised Dumbledore. This Hiei would make a decent Slytherin.

Dumbledore was presenting the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, a tired looking man with frayed robes and weary smile. Hiei studied him, sensing something underlying and vaguely feral about the man.

"Professor Lupin has returned to reclaim his position as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Some of the older students may remember him teaching here three years ago. . ."

"I can't believe he's letting a bloody werewolf teach us!" hissed Pansy Parkinson three seats down. The rest of the Slytherin table expressed their disapproval as well, Malfoy being the loudest with a declarative "Just wait till my father hears about this!"

Hiei's eyes narrowed. Werewolf, was it? He remembered seeing a passage about werewolves in one of his textbooks. Humans who transformed into monstrous wolves once every moon. . ._Almost like Kurama_, he thought. Hiei wondered if that gave Lupin heightened senses like Kurama, and made a mental note to himself to be cautious around this professor.

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At the Ravenclaw table, Kurama was thinking along the same lines. He would have to mention the necessary precautions to the rest of the Reikai Tantei sometime soon. He watched Professor Lupin sit back down and spotted Genkai rising.

She had offered to come with the Reikai Tantei under the guise of part-time Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but Kurama knew that she was really here to supervise the mission, and to help with their cover story.

Dumbledore explained to the student body that Genkai would be teaching for the days of Lupin's absence, in other words, she would be substituting on the full moons. Whether or not this Dumbledore knew the whole truth behind it all, Shuichi did not know. No one was supposed to have any knowledge of the Reikai Tantei and their purpose, but this professor seemed to possess wisdom and power uncommon to humans.

Kurama listened with interest as Dumbledore mentioned the Forbidden Forest, warning all students not to wander into it. The prospect of exploring the forest and its plants brought out some of his Youko curiousity. _I wonder what sort of plants the wizarding world has. _It also sounded like the perfect place to undergo his Youko transformations.

The kitsune tilted his head heavenward and gazed at the enchanted ceiling of Great Hall. A waxing silver crescent moon graced the night sky, and Kurama embraced its light.

Yes, a perfect place for his transformations. . .

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Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone liked it.

The authoress needs your help! Cyber cookies for everyone who answers my questions:

1. Does Kurama have the ability to change to his Youko form at will?

2. What was the name of that centaur guy who came to teach Divination in the fifth book?

3. Did the book mention whether or not the centaur planned on staying to teach or if he decided to teach for a year and quit the job?

Thank you!


	3. Ch 3: After the Feast

Keieda Tenshi: Thank you. So, when someone pisses Kurama off, he goes Youko?

Chaos-Empersonified: blush Thank you! I love those Malfoy moments, bashing him is always fun! BTW, I love the penname!

Walis: Thank you thank you thank you! Yay, someone called the story well-written!! Needless to say, I am pleased that you think I'm doing a good job with the characters. Believe me, I did a lot of second-guessing myself, wondering 'Would it be out of character if…' Thank you for the info, I find the description of Yusuke's demon form very appealing to write about.

Tomb Robber: For a while I thought I was never gonna get this chapter up. Thanks!

Shadow Dragon: yes yes yes! I want him to be able to do that. -

Icerose: Thank you, and I totally agree, the Best Defense is truly a masterpiece. But if only it wasn't yaoi. sigh

Megumi Muse: Youko shall change at will! I'll try my hand at writing Youko, so we'll see how it turns out.

Harmony Hanyou: Yes, I plan to have lots of fun with the Divination Profs. I've never seen YYH anime, so I wouldn't know how Kuwabara sounds.

Fanficreader: thank you!

Qaddafi the Ripper: Thank you lots for the tips! I have gone back the last two chapters and taken out all mentions of 'Fox', I believe, and I have eliminated 'baka' and the only times 'ningen' is mentioned is when Hiei is talking. But I do have a reason for keeping that. Have also taken out the 'sweet snow' bit, and am rethinking the lunar cycle Youko transformations issue. Thank you very much for that last bit. I have never seen an episode of YYH anime, and most of my YYH knowledge comes from fanfictions I have read, so I didn't know that the monthly transformations was fanon. In my fanfic at least, Firenze will stay because I can think of numerous scenarios involving him and possibly the other centaurs.

Aria-chan: Thank you too, my muse. Refer to the note at the top of my profile. Can you explain this? - My IM is Gilluin2008. What's yours? We could chat sometime. E-mails get so tedious sometimes…

Cheerful-pinkstar: thank you and here it is!

Amari Koorime: Thanks for the info, Karuto-chan! Firenze will stay in this fic, for my own purposes.

JMJV: Thank you!

Clow Angel: Thank you, I love it too. Lol j/k.

Long Live Asato Kido: thank you, but I can imagine Kurama in Slytherin. His youko side fits the Slytherin reputation very well, cunning and ambitious. How's the YYH anime? I've never seen one myself, but is it good? Oh yeah, and good job on ITSOPAW. It's coming along nicely. -

Sessha's Crazy: I looked it up and found that the centaur's name is Firenze, but I have every intention on putting the other three in as well. Thanks!

GoldenKitsuneHime13: Thanks for the info, it'll come in handy.

Mizuha: Firenze stays! He's just too cool to leave out. o

MistressKC: you live in the Phillipines? Cool!! I'm from the United States.

Sunstar Kitsune: Thank you. I placed a hold on the book, but seeing as there were about three other holds on it before mine, I figured it would just be easier to ask. BTW, where was the typo? I don't see it…

Nikki: How could Kurama possibly NOT have admirers? And Hermione won't like Yusuke, he and Keiko belong together so cute! And absolutely NO romance in this fic! I'm not fond of romance in crossover fics, don't ask why. Thank you, and say hi to Songbreeze for me!

Metal Dragon1: I'm gonna have lots of fun bashing Malfoy… cackles

DarkStormFox: O.o Can you imagine the fun I'll have writing about Firenze and Trelawny teaching Divination?

Gerru: I've heard of the potion too, and Firenze will stay, for my own little purposes :)

Oya: You were right, I DID get a lot of different answers concerning Kurama's transformations. Thank you for taking the time to clear it up, I'm guessing your answer is dependable seeing that you've read the whole series.

Bakagami01: Thanks. I've heard that the lunar cycle is pure fanon.

Robin Autumn: Thank you, I think I'll take you up on that one.

Holly Foard: I'm more of a YYH fan than a Harry Potter fan, so expect more YYH than HP in this fic. :) Thanks for reviewing!

Evil Towel: Thank you. After some thought, I've decided to keep Firenze, seeing how many ideas I have including him.

Jessica: Malfoy bashing!

Mist: The potion sounds interesting…maybe I'll use it.

Icy Tears: Xovers are so fun to write though! Three out of four of my stories have been crossovers, they're my favorite genre.

Tsuiraku Tanrei: Thank you, I'm definitely putting Firenze in this story. The centaurs are so cool!

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**Demonic Guardians**

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**Chapter III: After the Feast**

After the start of term feast while the students were leaving for their dormitories, Genkai pulled aside the Reikai Tantei for a brief 'chat' in her new office.

Kuwabara looked around the small, dimly lit room. At the moment, it was bare and unfurnished, except for a mahogany desk and a chair sitting in the corner. Genkai closed the door and turned to the four detectives.

"I assume Koenma told you what was needed?" It was more of a statement that a question.

Kurama frowned. "A brief overview, yes. However, he left out most of the details."

Hiei snorted irritably. "I don't see why the petty problems of these humans concern us."

"The Reikai is held responsible for this mess in the first place."

Kurama tilted his head curiously. "Pardon me?" How could the Spirit World have had anything to do with the problems that now plagued the wizarding world?

"You heard me right, Kurama," said Genkai scathingly. "Koenma spoke to you of one called Voldemort, correct?" She waited for the affirming nod before continuing. "Apparently, his death was scheduled to be on Halloween night fifteen ago."

Yusuke spoke up for the first time entering the office. "And what? If he's alive and kicking now, does that mean he cheated death?"

The old psychic fixed him with her usual stern scowl. "In a way, yes. Perhaps his dark power gave him some eternal connection to the living world. Or something went amiss in the delivering of his soul to the underworld." Genkai shook her head. "Koenma isn't quite sure of what went wrong. All we know is that his soul lingered and has been searching for a way to gain enough power to return to the living."

Kurama felt he had to interrupt. "Perhaps you could enlighten us by telling the history of this 'Voldemort' character?"

Genkai frowned. "Perhaps, but it's a long story."

"We have all night."

"All right then. Where should I start…?"

-----------------------------------

Nearly an hour later, the Reikai Tantei were standing outside Genkai's office, now with a clear picture of their mission.

The event Harry had witnessed at the end of the Twiwizard Tournament – the rebirth of the Dark Lord – had been made possible with the help of several demons who had allied themselves with the Dark Lord. Once again, stray demons were questing for power in the Ningenkai, and once again, the Reikai Tantei had been sent to stop them.

Koenma had given them orders to take guard over Harry Potter in the belief that this boy was the only one who could defeat Voldemort.

"We should be going back to our House dormitories now," said Kurama.

Hiei snorted sullenly, but he and Kurama began down the hallway to the left. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at each other before turning in the opposite direction, towards the Gryffindor tower.

"See you two in the morning, then."

--------------------------------

Kuwabara and Yusuke arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady nearly half an hour later, after being pointed down the right direction several times by the other portraits, two accidents with trick staircases and an unfortunate encounter with Peeves, who left the scene cackling about having new students to pull pranks on. Yusuke dearly wished he could have used his Rei Gun then.

Their moods were not improved as they stood, drenched from the huge water jug Peeves had upended on them, before the Fat Lady.

"What do you mean you can't let us in?" shouted Yusuke angrily, pointing to the red and gold badge pinned to his robes. "We're Gryffindors!"

"Yeah," added Kuwabara. "Aren't you supposed to let all Gryffindors pass?"

The Fat Lady crossed her arms, unyielding to their protests. "You can only enter if you have the password. Which you don't.''

Yusuke was suddenly finding it very difficult to keep out thoughts of pulling out his Rei Gun. Kuwabara looked a bit short on patience as well.

Just then, the portrait door swung open, and they were met with the sight of a girl with bushy brown hair standing in the doorway. Kuwabara noticed a bright badge with the letter 'P' pinned to the front of her robes.

"There you are!" she said. "I've been looking for you two ever since the feast ended!"

"Looking for us…?"

"I'm Hermione Granger, Gryffindor House prefect," she said quickly. "And you are the new transfers, correct?" Nod. "I was supposed to tell you the password, but you disappeared after the feast." She looked down at the puddle of water collecting at Yusuke and Kuwabara's feet, and her smile tilted into a thin frown. "Oh! Did you have a run-in with Peeves? He _can_ be difficult sometimes – "

"The password?" prompted Yusuke curtly after sensing no end to her talking in the near future. He had a nice, hot bath in mind, dry clothes, and a good night's sleep.

"Oh yes, it's _mandragonra officinarum_," said Hermione, and both Spirit Detectives muttered it to the Fat Lady before climbing through the door.

Inside was a spacious room, carpeted in red and brightly lit by a large fire crackling beneath a mantel on the front wall adjacent to the portrait door. Students ranging from small, cautious first-years huddled in nervous groups to seventh-years playing a rowdy game of Exploding Snap lounged on the numerous armchairs, couches, and tables situated throughout the room. Spiral staircases wound upward on opposite ends of the far wall, and from the ruckus overhead, Yusuke guessed that there were people upstairs as well.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Commons Room," said Hermione. "The staircase over there – " She gestured to the stairway on the left. " – leads to the boys' dormitories. And the one on the right leads to the girls'. Your things have already been brought up to your assigned room – Ron!"

A tall, lanky boy with a mop of red hair and peppered with freckles had approached them. He, too, was sporting a prefect badge. "Hello Hermione. Are you the transfers? I'm Ron Weasley."

"Yusuke Urameshi," growled Yusuke. Could they just cut with the introductions so that he could get on with his bath? His wet robes were starting to get rather uncomfortable. He made a mental note to himself to get Peeves back later.

"Kazuma Kuwabara – Kuwabara to you."

Ron stepped back and took in their drenched robes. "What happened to you? Was it Peeves? Maybe you should go take a shower, then – "

At this chance, Yusuke all but sprinted towards the bathroom.

Hermione frowned. "You're going in the wrong way! It's on the right."

Yusuke pivoted without slowing his speed and disappeared behind a door.

--------------------------------

Hiei was sitting on the windowsill of the sixth-year Slytherin boys' dorm. The room was empty; all his dorm-mates had unpacked already and were down in the Commons Room, something that the fire demon was unduly grateful for.

He cursed his luck. Of all the Houses, the Hat had to put him in the one with the most arrogant and foolish humans. He had already encountered some of his Housemates, and they did nothing to improve his opinion of humans. Apparently, these Slytherins considered themselves superior to the rest of the Ningenkai, whom they called Muggles. He sneered contemptuously. Strutting around with unmerited pride, acting as though they were the supreme beings of the universe – and so very ignorant of everything outside their own little world.

_Fools._

He had seen some of their 'magic.' At first, he had been interested at the prospect of humans capable of magic, but was keenly disappointed in what he saw – token amounts of reiki channeled through flimsy sticks he could snap in a less than a second and leave them as pathetically defenseless as insects.

On top of everything else, these humans were the reason his sister had been left unprotected in Japan. Hiei growled mentally. Sure, there were Botan, Keiko, and Atsuko to look after Yukina, but Hiei felt much more at ease when he was there himself. If anything happened to her, nothing would stand between Koenma and a messy death.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs disrupted his thoughts. A few seconds later, a pale blonde boy, whom Hiei recognized from the feast, was standing at the doorway.

Hiei regarded him expressionlessly, face carefully devoid of the disdain he felt. This human was possibly the most arrogant of them all – Hiei remembered hearing him boasting loudly at the feast of being promoted to captain of the 'Quidditch' team, the prototype brooms his father was sure to buy him, his outstanding marks in a test called 'OWL's.' It was all he could do to restrain himself from setting the boy's robes on fire for the mere satisfaction of knocking him down a peg or two.

"What do you want?" he asked sullenly.

Malfoy's lips twisted into the faintest trace of a frown at the less-than-friendly greeting. "I'm Draco Malfoy, Slytherin House prefect," he said importantly, thinking that perhaps his surname and title would initiate some proper respect. The effect was opposite what he had been hoping for, for Hiei snorted and looked out the window dismissively.

Malfoy, accustomed to such blatant disrespect, bristled. What was it with these Japanese boys who refused to give him a second look? "You'll do well to show me some proper respect! I'm your House prefect, you – "

Hiei suddenly turned to him with a steely glare, and Malfoy faltered under the unwavering crimson eyes.

"You were saying…?" came the fire demon's cold voice.

Malfoy hastily erected his image of self-confidence. He could not – _would_ not – let this transfer treat a Malfoy with such insolence! "I can make your life here hell," he hissed maliciously, already thinking of the many ways he could land him in detention, 'accidents' in Potions, unfortunate trips down the stairs…

"You demand respect," Hiei sneered quietly. "Yet all I have seen so far is your ridiculously inflated head – " Malfoy's narrowed his eyes, fist unconsciously clenched at his side. " – so tell, what have you done to deserve respect?"

"Malfoy?"

Draco whipped around to see two bulky boys standing uncertainly at the doorway. "What?" he spat.

Crabbe's face was red and sore as an aftereffect of the counter-hex Draco had performed after the incident on the train. "Desserts are downstairs."

Malfoy looked back at Hiei, who was once again staring outside at the pitch sky. He was almost glad for an excuse to get away from him. "You'd better watch your back, Jaganshi," he hissed, before leading Crabbe and Goyle out.

Malfoy was seething with rage. His first day back at Hogwarts, and already he had been humiliated – twice! Once in front of Longbottom and Loony – they were sure to spread the word around, Malfoy could already hear the taunts of those muggle-loving Gryffindors, and a second time by a red-eyed shrimp short enough to be a first-year.

"Malfoy?" came Goyle's dull voice.

"_What is it_?" he bit out through gritted teeth.

"Nothing," said Goyle hurriedly.

"You seemed a bit put out with that new boy, 's all," added Crabbe.

Malfoy whirled around to glare at the other boy, who quailed under his barely restrained fury. "Put out, am I? I'll show that good for nothing bastard who I am, along with that pretty-boy redhead. He'll learn never to cross a Malfoy." And with that, he left his two lackeys behind as he snapped harshly at a small first-year who happened to be in his way.

Back upstairs, sitting on sixth-year boys' dormitory windowsill, a red-eyed fire demon was cursing Koenma for forcing him on this mission.

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Thank you to everyone who answered my questions last time. It helped a lot, and I have some great ideas for upcoming chappies! - Question of the chapter:

Did Genkai die before or after Yusuke gains the ability to transform into the Toushin? Does he find out that he's part demon before she dies?

I've looked online, but haven't found anything that gives me a straight answer yet. Answer if you know and feel like helping the authoress! Thank you. -


	4. Ch 4: Rumors of the Forest

Okay, I admit, I have slacked off a bit on updates. sigh Thank you for the reviews, especially hieibandit and Shadowcat241. Thoughts of discontinuing this fic crossed my mind, but rereading the reviews and then rereading my previous chapters have convinced me that this is one of my best works so far, and therefore deserves to be continued.

Also, I have already started writing a YYH/LOTR fic. For those of you who happen to be LOTR fans, tell me what you think of this idea, alright?

IMPORTANT NOTE: Reader responses will, starting from this chapter, be posted on my profile, as they seem to be taking up too much space in my actual story.

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Demonic Guardians 

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**Ch. IV: Rumors of the Forest**

Dawn found Kurama already awake and sitting in the Ravenclaw Commons Room. Sitting on his lap was a copy of the sixth years' Herbology textbook, a green leather-bound tome titled _The Complete Guide to Rare Magical Plants_. He had been immersed in it for nearly an hour. Of course, he was well acquainted with most of the species listed in the book, but still found it fascinating to read about it from a wizard's point of view. It also came as a mild surprise that one or two of the common Makai plants were mentioned briefly throughout the book. _I wonder how humans came upon them?_

"It's a bit early to be up, don't you think?"

Kurama gave no sign that he was startled, although he hadn't seen or heard anyone else in the room. On reflex, he reached up into his hair and located a single rose seed. He looked up just in time to see a pearly translucent figure glide _through_ the wall.

Standing – no, _hovering_ – in front of him was the pale, silvery likeness of a woman. She looked somewhere in her late-twenties, and was unusually tall for a woman. Everything about her – the shoulder-length hair, eyes, clothes, skin – were varying shades of silvery white.

There had been several ghosts at the feast last night, but Kurama did not remember seeing this one. She was smiling brightly at him, as though not noticing the eerily expressionless look on his face.

"Reading your textbook already?" she asked cheerily, glancing down at the book in his hands. "No wonder the Hat sorted you into Ravenclaw. It was my old House, you know." She glided over and sat down in the armchair beside his.

Kurama relaxed and withdrew his hand from his hair. "Good morning," he said, closing the herbology book. "I find it fascinating."

The ghost ran transparent fingers over the cover of the book. "Ah, I remember this," she said wistfully. "I studied this book when I was in sixth year." At Kurama's inquiring glance, she laughed. "Yes, I went to this school once, a long time ago it seems. Hogwarts was my home for seven years before I graduated and became an Auror."

Her bubbly voice reminded Kurama of Botan.

"I'm Shuichi Minamino."

The ghost looked at Kurama with silver-grey eyes. "My name is Rosalinde." She looked up as sounds of the awakening Ravenclaws came from upstairs. "Ah well, I'll see you down at breakfast, Shuichi."

Kurama watched her phase through the wall just as the Commons Room began to fill with yawning students. He noticed a group of girls giving him looks he was all too well acquainted with, and decided to follow the ghost's example of leaving the Ravenclaw Commons.

-----------------------------

When Kurama entered Great Hall, he found it nearly empty, save for a solitary black-robed figure sitting the far corner.

"Hiei."

The fire demon acknowledged him with a curt 'Hn' before stating shortly, "The humans here are intolerable."

Kurama sighed. "Just don't kill anyone, Hiei."

Hiei scoffed. "As if I would waste my energy on them." He drew out a long thin piece of wood and glared at it. "Channeling their energy through such flimsy tools. Pathetic."

"Don't burn those yet; we need them," said Kurama when Hiei looked about ready to destroy his wand. "Even if they are…ah…fakes," he added as an afterthought.

-----_Flashback------_

"You first, Hiei," said Botan cheerily, her tone a stark contrast to the gloomy interior of Ollivander's wand shop. It was a week before the scheduled trip to the London train station, and Botan had been sent to accompany the Spirit Detectives as they bought their supplies in Diagon Alley.

Hiei glared at the ferry girl, but obliged. As he stepped up, the old wand-maker selected a long thin box from the top of a huge column of boxes and opened it.

Hiei reached in and pulled out a wand, eleven inches, rigid, unicorn hair.

"Go on, give it a wave."

The fire demon flashed Ollivander an irritated glare and waved the wand quickly.

Instantaneously, the shop windows shattered and several columns of boxes collapsed.

Botan gave a surprised gasp, but Ollivander took it all in stride, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. He surveyed the damage done, before turning back to Hiei.

"Oh dear…"

The wand was smoking a faint purple-black color, accompanied with a faint sizzling sound as the smoke intensified.

Botan and the other three detectives watched on anxiously. Ollivander snatched the wand and dropped it again with a cry. It clattered to the floor, glowing faintly like the embers of a dying fire. Then, without warning, it erupted into flames. Within seconds the wand was reduced into a smoking pile of ashes.

"_Most_ peculiar," muttered Ollivander with a faint frown. He cleaned up the mess with a quick swish of his wand and took out another for Hiei to test.

"Nine and a half inches, phoenix tail feather."

Hiei looked at it skeptically, but nonetheless gave it a half-hearted wave. This time the wand spontaneously combusted in his hand. Ollivander had his wand ready and a jet of water doused the flames, but the wand in question was already damaged beyond repair.

Brow furrowed, the white haired man performed a banishing spell and the ruined wand flew into a wastebasket in the corner.

"Excuse me for a moment…" He shuffled out of sight towards the back of the shop.

They could hear him rummaging through boxes and several minutes later, Ollivander reappeared holding a wand with unusually dark, almost black, wood.

"Twelve inches, dragon heartstring," he murmured, handing it to Hiei. "A very powerful wand, this one is. Try it."

Hiei glared, and waved it. Not long after, thin tendrils of smoke rose from the wand. Ollivander _accio_'d it and inspected it for damage.

Ollivander fixed Hiei with a strange, almost calculating look, which the fire demon met with a cold glare. "Tricky customer, eh?" he said wryly.

"Oh…well, why don't you try the others first?" suggested Botan.

And he did. One by one the Detectives tested out wands, all of which ended up burnt, shattered, or destroyed by some other means. Finally, Botan bowed apologetically and reached for the money pouch.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. Here, I'll replace those – "

She all but shoved the coins into his hands and ushered the Tantei out.

"What happened?" asked Kuwabara once they were outside.

A moment of silence, then…

"Those wands weren't made for people with energy levels as high as ours," said Kurama thoughtfully. "I suppose it makes sense then, that trying to channel too much energy would cause them to…overheat."

"What now? How are we supposed to pass as students if we don't have wands?"

"Koenma did predict we would run into problems," said Botan. "That's why he signed you up for mostly wandless classes."

Kurama took the course list from his pocket. "Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies…" he read aloud. "You _do_ realize that even if the classes we have don't necessarily require wands, it will still be highly suspicious if we do not have them."

"Yes, I know that," said Botan dejectedly. "If you can't use real ones, I suppose we'll have to replace them with something fake, just for show…"

-----_End Flashback------_

"It won't take long before Dumbledore figures it out. He doesn't strike me as a fool."

"Hn."

-----------------------------

When Harry woke up that morning, it was to the sounds of two unfamiliar voices conversing none too softly on the other side of his curtains. The boy wizard moaned and rolled over on his stomach, smothering his ears with a pillow. Even so, he could still hear them speaking quite clearly.

"Oy, Kuwabara, toss me that shoe, will ya?" The first voice was had a cocky, flippant tone, with an unmistakable arrogant swagger to it.

There was dull thump sound and then a "Thanks."

There was a brief moment of silence, in which Harry tried to fall asleep again, but all hopes were dashed as the second voice said,

"The shrimp's probably up already." This voice was lower, and rougher than the first.

Shrimp? Who was that?

"Kurama too, I'll bet. Well, let's not keep them waiting."

Kurama? Harry found himself listening, albeit unintentionally.

"Oh, and don't forget your stick."

"Wand?"

"Yeah, that."

This was followed by some rustling, and Harry heard footsteps leading away. The dormitories were silent once more, but Harry was already wide awake by then. He sat up in bed and stretched, pulling the curtains open in time to catch a glimpse of two boys – one raven-haired and the taller one with orange hair – disappear through the door.

He recognized them vaguely as the two Japanese transfers sorted into Gryffindor last night. What were their names? Harry wondered vaguely as he stood up and reached for the glasses at his bedside. Oh yeah, Yusuke and Kazuma.

"'Mornin' Harry," mumbled someone behind him.

Harry turned to see Ron's head poking out from between his bed drapes. "Oh, hullo Ron."

Ron acknowledged this with a sleepy nod and stepped out, yawning. He took a few steps and suddenly slipped. Instinctively, he reached out to break his fall and his flailing arm slammed into a water pitcher on the window sill. The pitcher shattered with a loud _crash_ and both boys winced.

"Keep it down, it's Sunday morning," came an irritated voice behind the curtains of the bed closest to the door.

"Sorry, Dean," said Harry as he walked over to help Ron up.

An incoherent moan was his only answer.

"What's this?" Ron held up a small glass ball that fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. Its interior was filled with a smoky purple-black vapor. "I must have stepped on it."

"Well, you _were _walking half-asleep," was Harry's bemused reply before he cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand. He took it out of Ron's hand for a better look. "I think this is Seamus'."

"What about me?" A sandy-haired boy emerged from a tangle of blankets.

"Is this yours?" asked Harry, holding out the round object.

Seamus reached over and took it. "Ah yes." He held it and studied it for a while, brow furrowed slightly.

"What?"

"Nothing," said Seamus lightly. "My uncle bought this for me ages ago – he's a Auror – said he got it at some run down old store selling antique magical items."

"So what is it?"

"It's called a Demon Detector, works a bit like Neville's Rememberall. Supposedly, when it turned purple, it means there's demonic energies nearby."

"_Demons_ – ?"

Seamus shot Ron a small smile. "Don't worry, this thing doesn't really work. Even Uncle says it's useless. Said something about it being purple the whole time he toured Japan a few summers ago."

"Besides, Professor Binns told us in fifth year that demons don't exist anymore."

Ron gave Harry an incredulous look. "You actually learned something in that class?"

Harry frowned. "It was in a chapter on the histories of extinct magical races, don't you remember?"

"I think Hermione's rubbing off on you, mate," said Ron, shaking him head in mock-disappointment.

"Hey – !"

-----------------------------

Deep in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, the light of the rising sun did not penetrate the thick foliage of the canopy.

The forest's inhabitants were roused. Something was coming to pass, something that the wizarding world had not seen the likes of for several millennia...

"I have read it in the stars, Ronan."

The broad-shouldered auburn centaur did not turn to regard the speaker. "This I know, Magorian. The message written in the heavens have not changed for many nights now."

A second centaur walked to his side. "The entire forest whispers of it."

"Demons in our midst," said Ronan in an almost inaudible murmur. "What brings demons back to the human world after so long?"

Magorian did not answer for a moment. "The spiders rumor of three demons living in the castle."

"The school?" Ronan snapped around to face Magorian. "What interest would demons have in that school?" Silence. He sighed. "The Potter boy. He draws enemies from all sides."

"Not all demons are creatures of evil."

"Then let us hope that these are not like the ones that have joined the Dark Lord's forces."

"Yes, let us hope indeed."

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I hope that was an interesting chapter. Please don't ask about the OC ghost introduced at the beginning. No she is not just a random OC I slipped in, she's important. She's also named after my wonderful muse, Aria-chan.


	5. Ch 5: Settling In

-sheepish grin- Um, hi. I know that you guys probably think I've given up on this story, since it –has- been 6 months since I've updated. This chapter, there will be no reader responses, but I have read and appreciated all the reviews. And feel free to throttle me for being an irresponsible authoress. After you've read the chapter, of course. ;;

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**Demonic Guardians**

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**Ch. V: Settling In**

"Voldemort, we have a problem."

A tall figure cloaked in black turned around to face the other. His face resembled that of a snake's – blood red eyes with black slits for pupils, a thin lipless mouth and pale, almost white skin.

"What is it, Yuriko?" he said in a low hiss. They were standing in the parlor of the Riddle House, outlined against the shadows by the only light in the residence, a small fire crackling in the stone heathen.

"The Spirit Detectives have come to interfere with our plans," spat the demon.

"Spirit Detectives?"

The corners of Yuriko's mouth twitched in an amused smile. "Surely, one as mighty as you would have heard of the infamous _Rekai Tantei_," he said mockingly.

The Dark Lord seethed inwardly. He held a grudging respect for his new-founded partner, the Demon Lord Yuriko, but could not hide his anger at being treated with disrespect. Most demons regarded humans as inferior, but Voldemort would not tolerate such insolence.

He pointed his wand at Yuriko's heart, or at least where his heart should have been. "Don't play with me. I am not one to be fooled with, demon."

Yuriko smiled disarmingly. "Temper, temper," he said in a bemused voice. No matter how powerful, Voldemort was still a human, a weakling in his eyes. "We are partners, no hard feelings between us, ne?"

Voldemort lowered the wand. "Get on with it."

"The group known as the Spirit Detectives take it upon themselves to stop demons who enter the Ningenkai. Yes, that would include myself and the demons I brought here from Makai," he added, seeing the questioning look on Voldemort's face.

"Tell me more about them."

"They are a group of four: two demons, a half demon, and a human.

"Do they intend to foil our plans? Where are they now?" demanded Voldemort.

"They will attempt to stop us, no doubt about that. And as for your second question…"

Yuriko held out a hand, palm upwards. A swirl of smoky vapor-like substance condensed into an orb in the heart of his palm. Vague colors and shapes came together inside the sphere, forming into more recognizable figures.

Voldemort stepped up beside Yuriko, wand clutched tightly beside his back as he peered down into the orb.

Two boys, no older than Potter, were walking down a darkened hallway, their footsteps resonating on the stone tiles. One was dark-haired, spiked with liberal use of hair gel. He walked with an arrogant swagger, a cocky smirk fixed firmly on his face.

The other was taller, broad-shouldered with red hair and had the gangly look of one whose arms and legs were growing too fast for the rest of his body to catch up.

The half demon and human are sixteen years of age now."

"And what threat would that present to us?" asked Voldemort, an underlying skeptical tone seeping into his voice.

The demon chuckled, a low growling sound deep in his throat. "Do not underestimate them, human. Countless demons before you and I have fallen to the Reikai Tantei."

They turned back to the orb. The Detectives rounded a corner, and before them stretched the vast space of what Voldemort recognized to be Great Hall. Overhead, a red orb peeked over the horizon of the hall's bewitched ceiling.

The place was vacant, save for two lone shapes sitting together in the corner of the Ravenclaw table.

"Oy Kurama! Hiei!" greeted the black-haired boy as they approached the two.

"Those are the other two Detectives," said Yuriko. "This – " He gestured to the one on the left, a youth with long red hair and green eyes. " – is Youko Kurama. Don't be fooled by his pleasant demeanor; he was a notorious thief in the Makai in his time." He turned to the shorter, dark-haired one beside him. "Beside him is Hiei, master of a Jagan eye."

"So how was your first night at a magic school?" Yusuke was asking, leaning back in his chair casually.

"Not bad," said Kurama mildly. "However, some of the older students felt the need to throw a party in the middle of the night.

While his companions exchanged pleasantries, the boy Yuriko had called Hiei sat wordlessly to one side, face expressionless.

Voldemort studied him, then carefully, stretched his senses out, probing cautiously into the boy's mind.

He snapped his head around, and for the first time Voldemort had a clear view of his eyes.

Crimson, a shade of red much like his own.

Demonic eyes, and Voldemort found himself the subject of their uncomfortably keen glare.

He was staring straight at him.

"Can he see us?" hissed Voldemort.

Yuriko's face was expressionless. "The Jagan eye sees all…" he whispered, as if to himself.

The Dark Lord noticed something glowing faintly purple from behind the white bandana around Hiei's forehead. A low feral laugh echoed in his ears, accompanied by a mocking voice, almost as if the speaker was playing with him…

_I see you._

------------------------------------

Hiei smirked ever so slightly at the disconcerted faces of Voldemort and Yuriko before erecting a mind-shield around himself and the rest of the Tantei.

"We were being watched."

Kuwabara, Yusuke, and Kurama stopped conversing and turned to him.

"By who?" asked Kuwabara.

The fire demon shrugged. "One was definitely a demon – his youki is exceptionally strong. The other was human. Don't worry," he snorted, seeing Kuwabara's expression. "I've already used my Jagan to shield us. They won't be seeing anything."

"Any chance they may be the ones we're after?" asked Yusuke.

"At this point of the game, Detective," said Hiei, turning to face the young Demon Lord. "anything is possible."

------------------------------------

Sunday passed without much incident. The Detectives spent the day familiarizing themselves with the place that would be their home for the next nine months.

Hiei wandered the school grounds, observing quietly and for the most part avoiding the teachers and students. Kurama acquainted himself with a few of his Housemates, and found some Ravenclaw girls who were more than willing to give him an extensive tour of the castle grounds.

Yusuke and Kuwabara took to life at the school much the same way as they did at school back home in Japan – that is, by resolving disagreements with fists.

"Mister Kuwabara, Urameshi," said Minerva McGonagall tersely, crossing the Quidditch turf with quick strides. Her lips were pressed together in anger, face fixed in a stern frown reserved for when dealing with the school's less…cooperative students.

"You may be new to this school, but that does not mean you are exempt from the rules – oh my." She stopped in her tracks as the two turned to face her, giving an unrestricted view of five burly Slytherins sprawled in various positions on the grass. she knew there was a fight from all the shouting, but this was not what she had expected.

"_Enervate_," she said, pointing her wand at the closest Slytherin, a big-boned sixth year lying face down, spread-eagle.

He moaned and raised his head, face smeared with blood that was still trickling from his nose, which was bent at an odd angle.

He saw Yusuke and Kuwabara standing off to the side, and was preparing an insulting remark when he noticed the professor standing over him, arms crossed in a 'what's-going-on?' fashion.

"Professor McGonagall!" He changed gears quickly, jumping to his feet and pointing to the two Gryffindors. "They attacked us!"

"Attacked you?" yelled Kuwabara indignantly.

"You were the ones who tried to cast spells on us for no reason!" put in Yusuke.

"Is this true, Zabini?" demanded McGonagall sharply.

Blaise Zabini faltered, caught off guard by the unexpected question. "We…er, I mean – no!" he lied unconvincingly.

McGonagall shook her head in disgust. "Ten points off from both Slytherin and Gryffindor. For each of you."

"You can't do that!" protested Blaise loudly. "Term doesn't start until Monday!"

"Then all of you can see me after school tomorrow for detention."

"WHAT!" cried Yusuke and Kuwabara in unison.

McGonagall peered at them coldly over the rim of her square glasses. "You heard me." She turned to Blaise. "Get your Housemates up and all of you can go visit the Infirmary. Madame Pomfrey is not going to be happy."

The Slytherin cast a spiteful glare at the two Japanese transfers, then turned to his task, grumbling.

"You two," she said to Yusuke and Kuwabara. "come with me to my office."

------------------------------------

By noon, Kurama was beginning to think that perhaps this school wasn't a terrible place to be stuck in for nine months while assigned to another mission.

The place had an extensive library, full of books about the different branches of magic, and even a few on the more obscure arts. There were also the Greenhouses, which help rows upon rows of exotic (and some dangerous) plants. He was also itching to explore the Forbidden Forest.

But before he went romping through the forest, he needed to know about it first. He glanced over at his tour guides. They would be an easy enough source for information.

"What is it that makes the Forest so forbidden?" he asked casually. He was walking with three Ravenclaw girls through the corridors of the school's North Wing.

A petite sixth-year named Melissa shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Students aren't allowed to go in, since the Forest is filled with all sorts of dangerous things."

"Like werewolves and giant spiders," added Padma Patil, a fifth year girl with olive skin and short cut black hair.

"But there are good things too," said the third girl, another sixth year with square glasses and a permanent no-nonsense expression. "There are unicorns, and I've heard that centaurs live there too…"

Kurama was carefully storing this information away. "I see. Are there any wards or spells around the forest?" If there were, he might have to delay his little visit until he could figure out how to get past them. Admittedly, he could break through most magical defenses – one had to in order to have any success as a Makai thief – but at the moment he did not know how wizard wards differed from the ones in his past experience.

This time it was Padma who answered. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? That the Forest would have some kind of magical barrier to keep people out. But it doesn't. In fact, I do believe one could enter without any impediment, although that would be a very stupid thing to do."

Kurama smirked mentally. The humans made it too easy…the Youko was half disappointed he had been derived of some challenge.

_They've gotten themselves in trouble already._ Hiei's mind-voice was tinged with amusement.

Kurama stopped at the sudden presence in his mind, causing the girls to look at him strangely. "I apologize, but I need to meet up with someone," he said. "Thank you for the tour, this school has turned out quite interesting."

"Alright," said Melissa, sounding a touch disappointed. "See you around then, Shuichi."

Kurama said his good-byes, turned, and began walking in the opposite direction. As soon as he turned the corner, he asked, with barely concealed exasperation, "What did Kuwabara and Yusuke get themselves into now?"

A black figure flitted to his side. "A fight with five or so humans. From my House."

"And how did that turn out?" muttered Kurama, although he already knew the answer.

"Yusuke and the idiot knocked them out cold."

The kitsune sighed tiredly as he spotted the two coming out from McGonagall's office.

"Spare us the lecture, Kurama," grumbled Yusuke, seeing the look on the fox demon's face. "We already got an earful back in there." He jerked a thumb in the direction of the closed door he had just left.

"I can't believe she gave us detention. On our first day!" huffed Kuwabara, with an air of bruised pride.

"I can't believe you two managed to get into a fight on your first day."

"They were asking for it!" Yusuke protested indignantly.

Kurama cast his eyes upward as if to ask silently, 'Why me?' and Hiei smirked marginally at his helplessly pained look.

------------------------------------

After the incident with the Demon Detector, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went downstairs to the Gryffindor Common Room, followed by Dean several minutes later, who was mumbling darkly under his breath about the dorm noise levels on a Sunday morning. The grudge was soon forgotten, however, when Ron invited him to a game of Wizard Chess. A short time later, the two were deeply engaged in the game, with Harry watching over Ron's shoulder. Hermione settled down in an armchair to read.

Harry leaned back in his chair as Ron's Queen smashed Dean's bishop down and dragged him off the board. He was glad to be back at Hogwarts. It was like a sanctuary to him, a place of familiarity and safety in the turmoil of Voldemort's return and the gaping hole that Sirius's death had left.

Grimacing, Harry felt a cold knot twisting in his stomach and hastily pushed the memories of his godfather aside before they could overwhelm him. He noticed that Hermione had looked up from her book and was watching him with a worried expression. She had become particularly adept at recognizing when something was amiss with Harry. He forced a weak grin to indicate he was fine, and turned his attention back to the chess match.

Ron, unsurprisingly, had the upper hand. Dean's King was unprotected, and his Queen was already out of the game. It wouldn't be too long before –-

"Checkmate."

Dean grinned ruefully, then reached across the table with his hand. "Good game."

Ron shook his hand. "Same to you, mate." He gathered up the chess set and ran upstairs to put it away. By the time he was back, Dean had left for breakfast and several still-yawning Gryffindors were coming down from their dorms.

Hermione closed her book. "Why don't we visit Hagrid?"

Harry grinned at the mental image of Hagrid standing at the doorway of his little cabin, beaming and ushering them inside to talk and (his grin faded) inviting them to sample his cooking. "Sure."

Hermione was already climbing through the portrait hole, Harry and Ron in her wake.

Hagrid's cabin was situated at the North side of the school, facing the Quidditch field and sitting at the fringes of the Forbidden Forest. Its homeliness contrasted with the eeriness of the Forest, which, even in the bright Sunday morning light, was too dark for Harry to see more than ten feet into the vegetation.

Hermione rapped on the door, which was met by a loud bark and scratches on the other side, followed by a cry of "Down, Fang!"

The door opened to reveal Hagrid, grinning broadly with a huge black dog panting behind him. "Mornin' ye three. I was wonderin' when ye'd come by an' visit me."

"Morning, Hagrid," said Harry, as they entered the home and Hagrid closed the door behind him.

Once inside, Hagrid gestured for them to sit. Harry noted, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, that the room was filled with a sharp acrid smell, as if something had been burning.

Ron's stomach growled. None of them had eaten breakfast yet. Harry looked at Hagrid quickly, hoping that he hadn't heard –-

"Hungry, are ye?" Hagrid turned around, holding a steaming pan of something.

Ron's ears turned distinctly red. "Oh, not really – er…I mean – "

Hagrid chuckled, as he set down the pan. "No need ter be shy, Ron. Here, try summa these biscuits. Made 'em myself," he added, smiling proudly.

They did look vaguely like biscuits, Harry thought as he stared warily at the shapeless lumps. They were a light brown, with noticeably burnt edges.

So that explained the smell. Not wanting to be rude, Harry grabbed one and bit into it cautiously. To his surprise, it wasn't too bad. It was hard to chew, with a bit too much sugar, but not terrible.

"It's very good, Hagrid."

The half-giant beamed pleasurably. Ron and Hermione sampled some tentatively.

"So, how was yer firs' night back ter 'Ogwarts?" Hagrid asked, leaninig back in his chair.

"Not bad," said, Harry, reaching for another bicuit (at which Hagrid grinned broadly).

"Ron and I helped the two new Gryffindor transfers settle in."

"Yeah, but not before they met Peeves the hard way."

Hagrid chuckled, and poured himself a cup of tea. "Those two are also serving detention with me tomorrow."

Hermione frowned. "Are they? What did they do?"

"Professor McGonagall visited not long before ye came, said she thought I might need some help with my work tomorrow night and that she had a few students who needed to serve detention. She wasn't too clear with what happened, but it sounds like the new Gryffindors got themselves inna fight with a few Slytherins."

Ron whistled. "Got into a fight with the Slytherins on their first day? Sounds like those two are Gryffindors through and through."

"Ron! You're a _prefect_! You shouldn't be encouraging fights," said Hermione disapprovingly.

"What are you going to have them do tomorrow night, Hagrid?"

"We're goin' out ter the Forest to collect some plants fer Professor Sprout and a few potion ingredients fer Professor Snape."

"Sounds like fun," Harry muttered.

"What if the centaurs find you?" Hermione remembered all too well how the centaurs felt about humans wandering into their forest.

"They already know what I'll be in the Forest fer." Hagrid frowned. "Speaking of which, the centaurs have been acting a bit odd lately."

"How so?"

Hagrid shrugged his broad shoulders. "They seem ter be a worried 'bout somethin'. Wouldn't tell what when I asked 'em, though."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances, all thinking the same thing. If the centaurs were worried about something, there was a good chance there was reason for them to be worried too.

------------------------------------

_Draco – _

_I have a task for you. This is your chance to prove yourself. The Dark Lord wants you to keep a close watch on a few students, namely the four Japanese transfers. I believe they are in your year, and that one of them is even in your House, so this shouldn't be too difficult. Find out everything you can about them, their abilities and weaknesses, or anything remotely unusual. Be prepared to report back to me by the end of the week. Do not disappoint our Lord or me._

The letter was unsigned, but the penmanship was unmistakably that of Lucius Malfoy. Draco read the letter over again, and then threw it in the fire, wondering what about those transfers would possibly interest Voldemort so.

He was a Malfoy, and his time had finally come to be of use to the Dark Lord. Draco had not intention of letting him down.

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By the way, would anyone like to enlighten me on how old Youko really is? I've heard everything from 500 years to 3000 years. Does anyone know for certain, I mean, was his age ever mentioned in the anime or manga?


End file.
